Send me email updates about messages I've received
on the site and the latest news from The CafeMom Team.By signing up, you certify that
you are female and accept the Terms of Service and have read the
Privacy Policy.

going to the beach with 8 kids..

So I got some good feedback and am hoping for some more, we are going to the beach the end of the month. 5 adults 8 kids. How do we keep the peace? Only the oldest is a boy so 7 girls...

We will have a 13, 12, 11, 10, 6, 5, 4 and 1 year old with us, We already have a buddy system set up with the older kids and the adults all know which kids they are in charge of watching. I just don't want to hear the fighting, mainly from the older kids. We are all great friends and our kids have known each other since birth, its a full week of togetherness, we have done it before, but not for as long. So really I just need ideas for the time we are not at the beach.

I bet they'll have a great time. While you are at the beach they'll be happy. The only time you'll have to worry about is restaurants. I bet they surprise you. We went away last year with 7 kids and it rained the whole time. They kept busy doing their nails, doing puzzles, playing hide and seek. It was a lot of fun! Good luck!

Apples to Apples Jr., Catch Phrase, Guestures, are a few of our favorites. They always get a laugh and everyone can play. Adults and kids. Even my 3 year nephew likes to play Guestures (someone has to read him the card though :)

Well, we just did this but it was 8 adults (sometimes more) and 8 kids. Our ages were: 13, 10, 10, 7, 7, 5, 3, 3. Six of the adults were parents.

Each parent is responsible for their own kid. There needs to be some leeway with discipline though...your kid is acting like a jerk...the other parents should be able to say something. This is where most fights come in, I find. Not so much with the kids, they can resolve their own stuff if you leave them to it. Adults? Whole different matter.

Make sure that you all aren't together the entire time. Each family needs to have "down" and "alone" time. That will help TONS.